SINGAPORE AND GERMANY SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON COOPERATION IN MARITIME TRANSPORT ON 29 APRIL 2005, 1130 HRS
PRESS RELEASE
SINGAPORE AND GERMANY SIGN MOU ON COOPERATION IN MARITIME TRANSPORT
1 Singapore and Germany concluded the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in Maritime Transport today. The MOU was signed by BG (NS) Choi Shing Kwok, Permanent Secretary (Transport), Singapore, and Mr Ralf Nagel, State Secretary for Transport, Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing, Germany.
2 The conclusion of the MOU on Cooperation in Maritime Transport builds upon the Agreement on Maritime Transport which was signed in June 2000 between Singapore and Germany. The MOU provides a conducive framework for cooperation in maritime areas of mutual interest including R&D and technology, safety and security, and training. The MOU will pave the way for closer cooperation between the two governments, as well as increase opportunities for collaboration among the tertiary and research institutions and companies of both countries.
3 The close ties between Singapore and Germany are demonstrated by the recent joint projects undertaken in the field of maritime research and development. These include the development of computational fluid dynamics capabilities for predicting ship response in storms, and shipboard trials of a ballast water treatment system to prevent the transfer of harmful organisms. Both projects are co-sponsored by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) under its Maritime Innovation and Technology (MINT) Fund. Under this MOU framework, the projects will benefit from greater streamlining in the coordination and implementation.
4 The MOU has also encouraged the exploration of a wider range of collaborative projects. Some proposals include the development of simulation models for ports and waterways; as well as performance standards and system requirements to transmit Vessel Traffic System (VTS) targets and tracks to selected ships via electronic means such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS). Discussions are currently underway to work out the details of these projects. These projects will involve MPA's German counterpart, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Hamburg), the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg, and the Nanyang Technological University, among others.
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Issued by: Ministry of Transport (MOT), Singapore
Date: 29 April, 2005
For media clarifications, please contact Ms Felicia Woo (MPA) at 6375 1648 or Ms Joan Chang (MOT) at 6375 2511.
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SPEECH BY PERMANENT SECRETARY (TRANSPORT) BG (NS) CHOI SHING KWOK AT THE SIGNING CEREMONY OF THE SINGAPORE-GERMANY MOU ON COOPERATION IN MARITIME TRANSPORT, 29 APRIL 2005, 1130HRS
Mr Ralf Nagel, Secretary of State for Transport, Building and Housing of the Federal Republic of Germany,
Ambassador Andreas Michaelis,
Distinguished guests, Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
1 A very good morning to all of you. Let me first extend a warm welcome to our honourable guests who have travelled here all the way from Germany. We are very happy to have you here, and are very pleased that you have sacrificed so much of your precious time to visit our country. I would also like to thank everyone present for being here today to witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Maritime Transport between Singapore and Germany.
2 Singapore and Germany have always enjoyed a strong and substantive relationship. The bedrock of our relations has been the extensive economic cooperation between our countries which continues to be of great importance today. Since our then-Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong’s visit to Germany in 2000, there has been a strong momentum to broaden our cooperation and exchanges into the fields of education, science, information technology, research and also culture.
3 On the maritime front, the relationship between Singapore and Germany has its roots in the existing Agreement on Maritime Transport, which was concluded in June 2000. Over the years, our bilateral maritime cooperation has developed in many areas, especially for issues of mutual interest that we have pursued together at the International Maritime Organization. We are very happy to be able to take our bilateral cooperation another step forward with today’s MOU. Germany is a nation of excellence in technology. In the maritime field, this is manifested in its leading maritime companies and research institutes. Similarly, Singapore has been steadily developing our maritime technology capabilities. With the focus and resources available from key initiatives such as the Maritime Innovation and Technology Fund spearheaded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), we believe there is much scope for us to work closely together.
4 The proposal for this MOU was made in December 2003 at a meeting between my predecessor Mr Peter Ong, and Dr Hans-Jürgen Froböse, Director General for Shipping and Aviation (who is also present with us here today). Dr Froböse was then visiting Singapore under MPA’s Distinguished Visitors Programme and their discussion touched on possible areas for further cooperation between Germany and Singapore on the maritime front. The signing of this MOU clearly indicates our mutual commitment to further collaboration and our common desire to forge an even closer partnership.
5 This MOU paves the way for collaborative projects between government agencies, research institutes and private sector companies in areas such as, but not limited to, safety, security, navigation and training. These projects will grant a wide range of opportunities to the industry and academia in both Singapore and Germany, and their results will no doubt benefit the international maritime community at large.
6 Let me conclude by saying that today’s MOU signing not only celebrates the existing high level of friendship between Singapore and Germany, but also the dawning of many new possibilities in our maritime cooperation.
7 Thank you.
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